Water & sewage service would negatively impact Purcells Cove

I have been attending the Purcells Cove water and sewage community steering committee meetings and paying careful attention to what is happening.

Halifax Regional Municipality has been looking into the feasibility of extending water and sewage service to Purcells Cove. This has been met with overwhelming, and growing, resistance from residents, property owners and neighbours from the surrounding area. An additional backlash is being felt from people who care about preserving the Purcells Cove backlands.

There are several problematic issues that arise with extending these services to Purcells Cove. Area residents have said several times that they don’t want it. Many are quite happy with the wells and septic systems they have now. Most are concerned about the costs to them, and fear the extension of these services will mean increased development in the area.

They have good reason to be concerned. This is not just a case of NIMBY. New development in the Purcells Cove area, to a degree sufficient to even make the extension of these services cost-effective, will have some alarming consequences.

For starters (and this should be a non-starter), development in this area in no way aligns with HRM’s regional plan. This is not a designated growth centre. Indeed, the very fact that there isn’t already service in the area should be re-directing the municipality’s and developers’ focus to serviced areas in the regional core that can be developed much more easily. Our municipality actually has some very good plans for development. We should follow them.

The Purcells Cove backlands is one of our natural treasures that should be preserved. It is a quick drive, a ride on the No. 15 or No. 20 bus, or a pleasant bike ride (with lanes) up Purcells Cove Road away from the peninsula. It is a precious and unique opportunity for urban dwellers to quickly escape back to nature, swim in a great lake or hike through miles of trails. Birders will tell you this is one of the best places in the province to see a wide variety of species.

Finally, increased development in this area will increase pressure on a transit infrastructure that is already overburdened. Every morning, I see cars back up for hundreds of metres along Purcells Cove Road heading inbound to the roundabout.

As we saw recently in the Herald, the municipality has no immediate plans to address the traffic congestion, other than to widen the end of Herring Cove Road in a few years.

Let’s say yes to development that makes sense. Let’s say yes to a regional development plan that is integrated with a transit plan. Let’s say yes to a plan that saves taxpayers money by focusing on already serviced areas. Say yes to a plan that respects and preserves the natural beauty of our community. Let’s say no to extending water and sewage service to Purcells Cove.

We only have one opportunity to save the backlands. Will we seize it or will we squander it?